Motorists across Otago and Southland are being warned to stay off the roads due to the severe weather.
Heavy rain and snow has battered the region since Monday and the worst is yet to come, Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll told Newshub.
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Between 25 and 50 millimetres of rain has fallen already in the regions and more is expected.
Interior Otago and Canterbury could see up to 75mm fall on Tuesday, and more heavy snow is expected, he says.
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is monitoring river levels around Otago in case they burst.
A king tide is expected to hit at 1:30pm which will effect coastal roads, the ORC says.
MetService has warnings in place for between 5 and 10 centimetres of snow to fall above 700 metres.
The New Zealand Transport Agency has area warnings in place for a number of roads due to flooding and slips. State Highway 8 between Millers Flat and Lake Roxburgh Village has also been closed due to flooding.
Mr Noll says the extreme weather is "certainly something to keep watch on".
"If are travelling you might want to delay travels."
He warns there could be power outages and warns farmers that livestock could face potential hypothermia due to cold wind temperatures.
The bad weather is expected to ease across the South Island by Wednesday.
Newshub.
